


Hate

by etselec



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bickering, M/M, Slow Burn, Teenagers, boys are stupid, finn and rey ship it, minor stormpilot if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-29
Updated: 2016-01-29
Packaged: 2018-05-17 02:37:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,058
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5850868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/etselec/pseuds/etselec
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I <i>hate</i> you.”</p><p>“Likewise.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hate

Hux absolutely despised this big brick prison that he was supposed to call a high school.

This was nothing like what his father had been too; after all those years of him describing towering architecture and proper education of the private schools he’d been to way back then, Hux expected to have been at one three years ago.

But then he and his mother split three years ago, Hux was forced into public school. He hated every aspect of it: the faculty and staff, the students, the trash they called “lunch food”, and most of all, he hated gym class.

So Hux held the same bored expression as he watched a boy kick the vending machine several times with the toe of his boot while Hux was in line for a Coke. His eyes flicked back and forth from the machine to the figure in front of him, shoving his boot at the vending machine and eventually creating a decent sized dent.

Hux heard the muttered curses of the boy in front of him and he decided to take a step back.

Just as he was about to pull out his phone to find something to pass the time, the boy, with all of his might, punched his fist right through the glass.

Hux looked up just in time to see a flash of his face-- a pale boy with his long, black hair covering some of his face.

Hux forgot about the Coke and walked to class.

\--

The first thing Hux heard when he walked into English class was the godawful laugh of that girl Rey conversing with her best friend, Finn.

Immediately, he addressed them. “If I hear you giggling like a lunatic again, I will personally rip out your vocal chords.”

“Watch yourself, Hux,” Finn warned.

“What?” he smiled darkly, “I’m not afraid to hit a girl.”

Rey jumped up from her seat. “I could beat you in a _minute,_ boy.”

“Feisty, are we?” Hux challenged. He opened his mouth to draw out his list of every little detail of his plan to completely ruin Rey and her stupid friends, but he was interrupted.

“Hi, sorry I’m late,” the teacher walked in, her hair looking delightfully _awful,_ “but someone just got transferred to out class. Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

From the darkness of the hallway, the same boy from the vending machine incident stepped into the classroom. “There’s no reason for me to introduce myself, everyone already knows me.”

“Well,” the teacher blinked, “why don’t you do so anyways? There could always be someone who’s never seen you here before.”

Hux, who wanted to see this idiot who prevented him from getting his soda completely humiliated, raised his hand.

“Yes, Hux?” the teacher smiled sweetly at him.

“I’ve never seen him around, so I believe an introduction would be lovely,” Hux maintained eye contact with the boy the entire time he spoke. He could see the glare on the other’s face and Hux knew his mission was accomplished.

“It’s Kylo Ren,” came the mumble from the dark-haired boy.

“What’s that?” Hux went further, practically _feeding_ on the humiliation from him.

“Kylo Ren,” he repeated a little louder.

A snort from the back turned this so called Kylo Ren a bright shade of red. “You there-- I won’t hesitate to beat you up. _Yes_ , you in the back.”

This sent the person in the back into a fit of laughter.

Kylo Ren lunged forward but a grip on his arm from the teacher stopped him.

“Mr. Ren, why don’t you take a seat behind Ms. Pava,” the teacher instructed. It was just Hux’s luck: Kylo Ren would be sitting right next to him. He was going to have a little fun this semester.

“I’m Hux,” he said to him, watching Kylo scowl at him.

Kylo scoffed. “Were your parents idiots? What kind of a name is Hux?”

“Mine,” Hux bit out, “what kind of a name is Kylo Ren?”

Kylo Ren shook his head and ignored him.

\--

After English, Finn jogged to catch up to Rey.

“Hey,” Rey smiled at him then whipped her head around to see Hux running up to Ren, “bet you five bucks Kylo and Hux’ll be together by the end of this month.”

Finn considered. In three weeks it would be February. “That’s crazy, no way.”

“By the end of February?” Rey offered.

“Nuh-uh,” Finn still shook his head.

“No?” Rey tilted her head, “end of March then?”

“Go lower.”

“End of… next week? You really think they’ll be together by then?”

Finn grinned. “Did you see the way they looked at each other?”

Rey shrugged. “I suppose.”

“Well then, you’ve got yourself a deal,” Finn shook her hand and followed her down the hall.

\--

“How come I’ve never seen you around here?” Hux asked after English.

“Why do you care?” Kylo muttered, trying his best to ignore him.

“I _don’t_ ,” Hux protested, “but imagine going to get a soda before class and some nitwit goes and bashes the fucking machine in.”

Kylo stopped right in the middle of the hallway. “You saw that?”

“You didn’t notice me?” Hux was surprised. He hid this with anger. “I was right behind you, how idiotic--”

“Will you shut your fucking mouth for one second,” Kylo sneered at him, dragging the two of them to the other side of the hallway, “you can’t tell anyone, my mother will find out and I’ll get in big trouble.”

Hux raised an eyebrow, feeling quite conflicted considering how powerful Ren had been, dragging him with such force--what? Hux liked to be dominated. “What kind of trouble are we talking here?”

Kylo ignored him. “I thought no one else was around.”

“That’s rather stupid of you,” Hux took a step back, “we go to a public school, for godsake.”

“Listen to me,” Kylo towered over Hux, “if you tell anyone it was me, I will rip your guts out. I’m not afraid of the consequences.”

Hux shivered. He shouldn’t be so turned on by a boy with serious anger issues of all people. “I’d like to see you try,” he said, his mouth dry.

Kylo scoffed and turned away from Hux and sped off down the hall.

Hux recollected himself and straightened out his jacket. He _hated_ this Kylo Ren boy for making him feel this way. He hated the way he talked back to him like he was _allowed_ to. He clenched his fists and stormed off in the other direction.

\--

The next day at school, Hux spotted Kylo by his locker, glaring at him. Just how did Kylo Ren know where his locker was?

“Have you been waiting for me like a dog?” asked Hux, grabbing his notebook from his locker. “Speak now, boy.”

“Have you told anyone?” Kylo leaned against the locker next to Hux’s. He told off the boy trying to get into his locker and Hux was almost impressed. _Almost._

“About your little temper tantrum on the vending machine?” Hux said, shutting his locker door closed. “I haven't, much to your luck.”

“That’s good,” Kylo mumbled, “thank you.”

 _Thank you?_ Hux had only known Kylo since yesterday but he did not seem like the type to go around _thanking_ people. “Is that a ‘thank you’ I heard, Ren?”

“Shut up,” Kylo said, “my mother would’ve really gotten angry. I wouldn’t be able to… go to the college I wanted.”

Hux was suddenly uncharacteristically curious. “College? Which one?”

Kylo looked at him in a sort of disbelief that he showed any sign of care. “It’s called First Order. My grandfather went to it.”

Hux’s eyes widened. How could it be? “That’s the college I wanted to go to! How _dare_ \--there’s no way I’m dealing with you for four more years.”

“ _You_ want to go to First Order?” Kylo looked infuriated. And the truth was, deep inside, Hux kind of liked it. “You would _never_ get in.”

“Speak for yourself,” Hux spat, clenching his fists.

“My grandfather would’ve put in a good word for me,” Kylo growled, “if anything, I have a literal 95% chance of getting in.”

Hux folded his arms, unsure of what to say. He stormed off without a word.

\--

The rest of the week and the next went like the first two days had gone. Kylo and Hux always found something to argue over, found something that one thought was better at than the other, but to be completely honest, they actually learned quite a bit about each other from the constant bickering.

The thing was, although Hux would never admit it out loud, Kylo Ren was starting to grow on him. He admired his confidence and forwardness and often went home most days thinking about Kylo pinning him against a wall and kissing him senseless--among other… things, if you will.

But it was not a _crush,_ as much as Phasma told him it was. Only children and thirteen year old boys had crushes.

Phasma was another factor that made Hux even more bitter than he already was.

She smiled at them when they walked in the hall together; she watched with her eyes wide when they snapped at each other.

Hux hated her.

\--

“That bickering’s gonna end in a kiss one day, I tell you,” Rey mentioned to Finn on an early February morning.

“If you say so,” came Finn’s reply.

\--

Hux got into a fight on a Wednesday in February. It was dark and rainy outside just as he liked it so it was the perfect time to pick a fight with the stupid junior who told him he was “all bark and no bite”. Hux _did_ mean everything he said and he couldn’t believe he could be accused such a thing.

“How’s this for you?” Hux had said in the middle of the cafeteria. His fist met the kid’s jaw and Kylo Ren had been next to him silently the entire time, staring.

The principal took all three of them into her office and waited until one of them spoke.

“I don’t even understand why I’m here. It was all Hux and that junior,” Kylo had mumbled, staring at an absent pencil on the floor.

“Mr. Ren, it had come to my attention that you have violent tendencies so I, ah, wanted to be safe.”

“Don’t you dare assume things of me, woman!”

“Mr. Ren! This is the final straw!” the principal stood up with her hands slammed down on the desk.

The junior swallowed. “Um, can I go--”

“Leave us, Jimmy,” the principal snapped. Once he had disappeared, she continued. “Starting fights at school, smoking on campus, and now disrespecting your teachers. I have no excuse but to call your parents. Mr. Hux, you are free to go.”

“But--”

Hux could see the clear dislike in their principal’s eyes. Part of Hux felt bad for Kylo, but most of him was happy to get away with punching that idiot in the face. But because it was common decency, Hux waited outside the school for Kylo.

“Hux.”

Hux spun around and took a deep breath. “Yes?”

“How _dare_ you drag me into your… your _mess,”_ Kylo began backing Hux up towards the sidewalk. “The principal called my parents and now they’re not going to let me go to First Order. This was the final strike, Hux!”

“It’s not my fault you stood there like an _idiot_ ,” Hux retorted, “this is on _you_ , Kylo Ren.”

“You don’t understand, First Order was going to be where I got better and you ruined my chances all because you forced me into your _friendship.”_

Hux was taken aback. Were they not… friends at the least? What was this thing they had for the past two weeks called, then? Did Kylo really not see this friendship going anywhere past _classmates?_ “I didn’t drag you into this! We’re not even _friends.”_ A lie. A blatant lie.

“This all traces back to _you_. This wouldn’t have happened if you hadn’t opened your big mouth the first day I transferred to your English class,” Kylo snapped. His fists were clenched and shaking and his eyes were dark and glassy.

Hux scoffed. “Not my fault you went along with it.”

“I _hate_ you.”

“Likewise.”

\--

Kylo Ren didn’t show up on Thursday.

“Trouble in paradise?” said the Rey girl.

Hux didn’t have the effort to think of a witty comeback so he flipped her off.

\--

But Kylo showed up on Friday with a bruise on his cheek and a cut on his lip.

“Don’t tell me your parents beat you,” Hux said, only slightly concerned. Slightly.

Kylo plopped down in his seat next to him in English class. “They didn’t. I beat myself up.”

Hux blinked. “It… wasn’t your fault,” he admitted, “you shouldn’t have done that.” Hux almost felt the urge to run his fingers over the bruise on his cheek. He shook his head of the thought. “Of all things, _I_ should’ve been the one to beat you up.”

Kylo Ren snorted and faced the front of the classroom.

\--

Hux figured Kylo was still pretty mad at him so he avoided him the rest of the day.

On the weekend, Phasma dragged him to a coffeeshop to talk.

“I don’t understand why we need to talk,” Hux grumbled, nursing his coffee, “we talk at school.”

“Isn’t it better in a calm setting like this coffeeshop?” said Phasma, “no students around that you hate?”

Hux stared into his drink, a dark abyss of no cream and no sugar. “I suppose so.”

“Now,” Phasma brought her drink to her lips, “tell me about your boyfriend.”

“Kylo Ren is not my boyfriend,” Hux said. How could she assume such a thing? Kylo hated Hux’s guts and Hux had no choice but to hate him the same. Hux took a swig of his coffee.

“Yet you knew who I was talking about,” Phasma raised her eyebrows, “there’s a little something there, you have to admit.”

“There’s absolutely _nothing_ there, thank you very much,” Hux snapped, squeezing his disposable coffee cup to destruction. Luckily, there was no liquid left.  He tossed the cup into the trash. “Thanks for our little _talk,_ Phasma.”

“It’s been my pleasure,” Phasma grinned. Hux knew she liked to see him flustered and she got her wish. Hux fled the coffeeshop and over to the park across the street.

He had parked his car on the street across from the park (there’s never any parking over by the coffeeshop, much to his dismay). He was about halfway through the grass when he heard someone talking followed by a loud noise.

Hux turned his head to see Kylo Ren; of all people he didn’t want to run into today, Kylo was at the top of his list. But his curiosity got the best of him and he walked over to the boy who was repeatedly kicking a tree trunk.

“Must we always meet while you’re destroying public property?” Hux quipped, folding his arms in the cold.

“My parents said I’d only get to go to First Order if I keep my grades up,” Kylo explained, laying another kick to the trunk.

“I don’t see you having anything below a B,” Hux said, watching as Kylo scraped the bottom of his shoe against the bark.

“I have a C in English.”

“Am I too distracting for you?” Hux teased. It was then that he remembered how violent Kylo could be. He braced himself.

“Shut _up_ , Hux.”

“Make me.”

Hux didn’t know how it happened, but suddenly Kylo was kissing him, and kissing him hard. Hux didn’t know where to put his hands so he settled for awkwardly at his side.

He backed away and wiped his mouth. “What the hell was that?”

“I made you shut up,” Kylo said, smirking. Yes, Kylo Ren was fucking smirking.

“I thought,” Hux started, brushing his fingers against his own lips, “you hated me.”

Kylo stepped closer, towering over Hux. “Yes. I absolutely despise you.”

Hux suddenly understood.

They made out in the backseat of Hux’s car, long enough for them to see the sun set.

\--

It was March the following Monday.

“Hey,” Finn caught up to Rey, “is that Kylo and Hux bet still on?”

“It’s March,” Rey noted, “I thought you’d forgotten.”

Finn pulled a five dollar bill out of his front pocket. “Which means you can still win this today if we find any proof today in class.”

“Deal!” Rey agreed cheerfully.

She watched Hux and Kylo walk in together. “Finn, there’s a bruise blossoming on the side of Hux’s neck.”

 _A hickey?_ he mouthed to her.

Rey grinned toothily.

She watched them for a solid ten minutes before she realized that they weren’t doing _anything_. They hadn’t even stolen glances at each other.

Rey gave up and wondered if she had five dollars on her. Towards the end of the class period, Rey made eye contact with Finn and shook her head and frowned.

Finn shrugged at her just as the bell rang.

“I thought that they would’ve been together by now. It’s been _weeks._ ”

“It took Poe and I months to get together,” Finn offered..

“Yeah but,” Rey noticed they were the only ones left in the classroom,”you two were so _oblivious._ Kylo and Hux flirted since day one.”

Finn rolled his eyes. “We’re going to be late to class, Rey.”

She pouted. “You’re right.” Rey waited for Finn to put his things into his backpack and they walked out of the classroom together.

“Finn, do you want to go out for lunch today? I’m thinking--”

“ _Rey,_ ” Finn said suddenly, eyes wide. He nodded to the other side of the hallway. “Look.”

Rey looked up and saw a sight she’d never thought she’d see. Kylo had Hux pushed against the locker of a poor freshman and they were kissing like they were the last two people on earth. She smiled in delight even when the students and teachers walking by gave the two boys dirty looks.

“Finn!” she exclaimed, gripping his arm and jumping in place.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Finn pressed the five dollar bill into her hand.

“This is _lovely._ ”

“Your definition of _lovely_ is very different from mine,” said Finn. He grabbed her sweatshirt sleeve, “now come on, let’s go.”

Rey took one last look at them and sighed helplessly.

**Author's Note:**

> loooong story short i started shipping kylux exactly five days ago and what do i do? 
> 
> obviously i write a high school au
> 
> follow me on tumblr @ marvelgoth.tumblr.com (2 lazy to put a link)


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